The Odd Couple
by nick2951
Summary: Three years after High School, Aria struggles with shattered dreams and trouble at college. On her own, she is forced to move in with Mona Vanderwaal who is going through her own drama, and the two form an uneasy friendship.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Still do not own Pretty Little Liars

**Author's Note: Another collaboration but this time a little more light hearted. This fic takes place after the series and uses all of 4A. Updates depend on reviews so please give some. This is not a Relationship fic between Aria and Mona currently- just a friendship that will come about over time.**

Aria Montgomery stared at the door, still unsure whether to go through with it.

Truthfully, this was her last shot at looking at a place locally before having to move back home; something that Aria was absolutely against.

Ever since she had been kicked out of her dorm for not reporting her roommate's drug problem, Aria had been sleeping on Hanna's couch. While the two weeks of doing this was not completely horrible, it was starting to get crowded since Hanna was already sharing the apartment with Caleb.

After accidentally walking on the two having sex in the bathroom, Aria decided to that it was time to find a place to rent. Unfortunately, her meager job at the bookstore was not enough to rent an apartment on her own and none of her other friends had the room for her to move in. Spencer shared her loft with Toby and Emily still lived at home while she attended school.

She tried looking in the paper for rooms to rent but found that the rent was either too high or too far away from her work as well as school.

It was only a day ago when Hanna suddenly mentioned that Mona was renting out a room in her condo.

The blonde had been reluctant to mention this to Aria, given their long history. The three years since the end of high school and the incident at Radley still left scars on all of them; Aria especially given what happened with Ezra. Even though Mona had been revealed to be on their side, there was still a chill between her and the core four.

Only Hanna still communicated with her after everything that happened; much to Caleb's displeasure. While their friendship would never be at what it once was before Mona was revealed as A, they still did things together on occasion. It was only with the two of them since Mona and Caleb could never get along; the last time Hanna had Mona over for dinner, it ended in disaster with Mona throwing a piece of pie at Caleb after he got snarky with her.

Aria had weighed her options and found that Mona Vanderwaal was her last shot; she was not willing to go back home and be smothered by her parents.

Mona lived in a converted Victorian House near downtown. The residence had supposedly been abandoned until it was fixed up by a realtor. Word from Hanna was that Mona had actually bought the place when she moved out from her parent's house at the start of their feud. The Vanderwaal Civil War was the talk of Rosewood currently; replacing the drama of A and the final fate of Alison DiLaurentis.

It was starting to get dark thus Aria decided that it was now or never. Raising her fist, she gave the front door a loud knock. She knew Mona was home due to her car being in the driveway; Aria's car was parked on the street in front of the house. After a minute, the porch light came on and the front door opened up slightly.

Mona stared at Aria for a good minute before asking "Is there something you want?" The tone was not completely hostile but there was a hint of annoyance that Aria sensed.

Mona had not changed that much in appearance in the last three years. While she did not sport the flashy looks she once did in high school, Mona still seemed to still stand out in a crowd. Her hair had a silver streak in it, a memento left by A, and she still matched Aria in height. There was supposedly a nasty burn scar on her back in which only Hanna has seen.

"Hi; Hanna mentioned that you were renting out one of your rooms and I am interested," was all Aria could say while doing everything she could to keep her tone neutral. The young woman did not want to sound desperate; if Mona sensed it, there would be blood in the water.

"You are interested in being a roommate with me?" asked Mona incredulously. Aria at least had the satisfaction of catching Mona by surprise.

"Yes," answered the young woman. Mona seemed to think about it for a minute before opening the door wider to let Aria inside.

It was obvious that the inside was mostly restored to its original look by first glance. The wooden floors looked authentic to the time as well as the walls. The lights in the ceiling were modern and illuminated the room brightly. As the women made their way further inside, Aria was surprised on how plain everything looked; she expected flashy from Mona. The woman herself was dressed in black pajamas; matching Aria's Gothic black dress and boots.

"I am charging 350$ a month and that includes all utilities. Only my room has a bathroom with it so you will have to use the one in the hall. I don't mind you putting all of your stuff in there as long as you keep it neat," informed Mona as she showed Aria the bathroom. It was a modern one with a toilet, marble sink, and a medium sized tub with a shower overhead. It had wooden floors and not tiled.

Mona then opened the door to a mostly empty room; there was a double bed on the far wall that was stripped down. The room itself was quite large and could fit just about all of Aria's stuff from the small storage room that she was currently renting. The floors matched the rest of the house as well as the white walls. Next to the bed was a large window that had a screen and had a double lock to guard against intruders.

After looking at it for another minute, Mona continued the tour.

The living room was the biggest room in the house and was in full view of the kitchen. The fireplace looked original and a modern chandelier hung overhead. There was a brown sectional in the middle of the room that faced an entertainment center containing a fifty-two inch flat screen. There was also a DVD player with movies in the cabinet below the television with a stereo system as well. Between the sectional and entertainment stand was a rectangular wooden coffee table.

The kitchen sported the classic Victorian style but with modern appliances. There was a dishwasher next to the sink and a large black double refrigerator near the counter. Lining the walls were wooden cabinets with a glass cover showing the various items inside. There was a square glass table for dining with four black chairs.

"I don't mind sharing the food as long as you replace everything that runs out. If there are any foods you do not want to share, leave a note on them so I won't touch them; I will leave a note as well. I have cable and you can use what you want as long as you do not break anything. I also have Wi-Fi so let me know when you need the code. Any questions?" asked Mona, turning to face Aria.

"Am I allowed to have company?" Aria asked as she glanced around at the few paintings on the walls. She and her friends liked to have dinner every now and then as well as have some sort of girl's night out.

"You can have the rest of the girls over but I have to be informed in advance. That goes for any guys as well."

"That is no problem; I am not really dating anyone right now," stated Aria with a fake smile. Truthfully, she doubted that she would ever date again after what happened with Ezra. Mona raised an eyebrow at this revelation.

"When do you want to move in?" Mona asked as she went over to pour herself some coffee from the pot. She gestured if Aria wanted any and the Gothic girl shook her head.

"I was thinking tomorrow; Toby offered to help me move when I found a place. Is that okay?" Aria asked.

"That's fine; I'll even do you a favor and let you stay the rest of the month for free while you get situated. Are you still in school?"

Aria took a deep breath before answering "I'm on academic probation right now so I won't be back until the spring." There was no use in lying to Mona and she was happy with the free stay for the rest of the month. It allowed her to rebuild her finances.

"I see; well this should be interesting," commented Mona with a slight smile.

"Yeah it will won't it?" Aria responded, still unsure by her choice.

There was silence between the two for a good minute before Aria looked at the microwave clock to see what time it was. It was approaching nine and in truth, she really did not want to go back to Hanna's place. Taking another deep breath, she decided to make another plunge for the night.

"I know I said I'd move in tomorrow but could I stay in the room tonight?" asked Aria with more hope in her voice than she wanted.

"Sure; I got some spare blankets in the closet. I'll go grab them," said Mona as she put down her cup and headed into the hall. While she did that, Aria decided to head to the car to grab her bag.

After making sure the car was locked, she headed back inside with her shoulder bag where Mona was waiting. Grabbing the blanket and pillow, Aria made her way to her new room and closed the door behind her. She then placed the stuff on the bed and sat down, sighing hard in the process.

It was amazing that everything with Mona had gone so smoothly. She expected Mona to squeeze her for the rent or hold her situation over her head like she did in the old days. But the young woman had surprised Aria by being so pleasant and polite. Either Mona was as desperate as she was or had truly evolved.

Of course Aria considered that Mona was helping her because of her love for Hanna. Mona would always have a soft spot for the blond no matter what; taking Aria in would make Hanna happy.

There was a knock at the door and Aria rushed to answer it. Mona was standing on the other side.

"I am heading to bed; was there anything you needed? Are you hungry?" asked the new landlord and roommate.

"No I am fine thank you; I had dinner earlier and am still full," answered Aria with a smile. It was as genuine as she could make it since good impressions really counted right now.

"Okay; I have work in the morning so if you are not up before I go, I'll make sure to leave a key on the counter. Have a good night and pleasant dreams," Mona stated with a smile that reminded Aria from long ago. She nodded and closed the door, heading to bed.

Aria put her bag on the floor next to the bed and laid the blue comforter on the bed spread out. She then took off her shoes and socks, tossing them in the corner. Slipping her dress off and onto the floor, she took out a large shirt that went to her knees and put it on. She also undid her bra and let it fall onto the dress.

Slipping under the comforter and placing her head onto the pillow, Aria looked up at the ceiling and stared, wondering if she was forgetting anything. Realizing that she still needed to call Hanna, she rolled over and grabbed her cell out of the bag next to the bed. She dialed her friend's number and put the phone to her ear.

"_Aria? Where are you?" _asked Hanna with some worry in her voice.

"Mona agreed to let me move in so I am staying the night," answered Aria.

"_That's great; and she is charging you reasonable rent?"_

"Yeah actually she did; 350$ a month with utilities. You didn't tell Mona I was coming because this went a lot better than I thought"

"_No, I swear; she has changed a good amount since the A thing," _defended Hanna.

"Okay; I guess time will tell. I'll come by for my stuff tomorrow and Toby said he would help me with the move."

"_That's good; I know Caleb offered but I doubt Mona would be happy having him at her place."_

"I figured that which is why I am using Toby; she likes him for some reason. Well I am going to sleep so I will see you tomorrow."

"_Have a good night then. Love ya."_

Aria hung up and put her cell back in her bag before lying once again on her back. She always had a hard time falling asleep at night ever since what happened with Ezra. So she went through her routine she learned in therapy and did her best to de-stress. While she had some anxiety in living with Mona, the fact that she had her own room helped a lot.

Eventually she fell asleep.

Mona herself was currently reading in bed when she began to realize the implications of having Aria Montgomery under her roof. While any animosities between all of them had long vanished, they were still not under the best of terms. Only Hanna had anything to do with her after all these years.

Of course Hanna was all that mattered to Mona; the rest of them be damned.

Then again, Mona did feel sorry for Aria to some degree. That final night at Radley had broken her to some degree. Mona may not be A anymore or constantly watching the girls, but she still heard things around town. Though most of the current gossip was about her and her parents, it was well known that Aria's life was a mess.

Them living together was going to be interesting.

Tomorrow she had to work then head to her weekly therapy session with her parents. Mona hated these appointments since they never got anywhere. She was glad that she was over eighteen and that her trust had been released. It meant that her parents no longer had any control over her finances.

Her funds were not infinite though. One of the reasons why she worked while in school was to build up a nest egg just in case. It was also why she wanted a roommate; though it seemed that no one wanted to live with her. Mona's reputation would always haunt her in Rosewood.

So Aria had done her a favor in moving in; now Mona just had to play nice and keep the peace no matter what.

**Please R&R!**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Still don't own it

Mona opened her eyes as the sun began to seep thru the blinds of her room.

She groaned as she pulled the covers over her head and wished she could only sleep in a few more hours. One of the benefits of being self-employed was that she could set her own hours and get up any time she wanted. When she was younger, she was always up early for school and the public face she created.

The Burning of Radley had changed all that.

Today she had therapy with her parents at noon and then her class directly after that. While the class never really bothered her despite annoying questions from her students, it was the sessions that really got on her nerves. If it weren't for the fact that the family matriarch, her grandmother, threatened to withhold her trust, Mona would cut all ties and be done with it.

Kicking the covers off, Mona yawned as she sat up and put her feet to the floor. She stretched for a minute before standing up to head to the kitchen. Realizing that she was still dressed in a skimpy pair of panties and a white t-shirt, she grabbed some sweat pants for some decency given that she now had a roommate.

Mona's room was quite large and walls that were black; it was converted from two separate rooms into one with some space going to her personal bathroom. It was also where she could be herself and not put on any facade; not that she did that anymore given that there no longer any reason not to be herself. Everything that she personally treasured was in the room or the walk-in closet next to her queen-sized poster bed.

Next to the door was her custom built computer on an oak desk she picked out from an online store. The entire computer was built by Mona herself and tweaked according to her needs. While the concept of being "A" was long dead, the system she built could easily accommodate her. The dark-colored computer matched the oak desk it was on; matching the theme of the room.

It was only her clothes that did not match the theme completely. While she wore a lot darker clothing than before, it was also stylish with some bright colors throw in. They hung all around the room and in her closet; arranged in outfits for certain occasions. A large mirror sat on a vanity next to the closet where she did her makeup and judged her appearance.

There were very few pictures in her room; only two or three showed her and Hanna together. There were none of her parents given that family portraits were a forced affair though she did have one with her Uncle. The Vanderwaals were a very rigid family and closeness was not very well received. Even her graduation photo with her parents looked cold.

Surprisingly, Mona did have a large picture of Alison Dilaurentis located above her door.

It was by no means a shrine but more of a reminder of Mona's painful past. Everything she was today was because of the dead blonde and though there had been more than enough hardships, Mona was at least alive. In the end, she had won; everything about Ali had been exposed to the world.

Of course it had been at great cost; for some more than others.

Then there were the dolls; dozens of them that were grouped together in a corner in the room. Every one of them had been salvaged from her former lairs and Radley, stacked on a table nice and neatly. The dolls themselves were still dressed the same as they had been and Mona made sure not to change anything from them.

Only Hanna knew about the collection since she partially helped Mona in moving in. The Blonde had been creeped out by them but knew how much Mona treasured them given the amount of attention; which is why Hanna never urged her friend to get rid of them.

Making another big yawn, Mona opened the door to her room and headed to the kitchen. The coffee machine was already trickling out its precious creation and the woman grabbed a cup from cupboard. When the pot was full, Mona poured herself a full cup and took a sip as she sat down at the table.

Grabbing the remote, Mona turned on the television at a low volume and put it on the local business network. While Mona had a trust to live on, she did have money invested in various companies as well as private accounts going all the way back to her A days. The roommate thing was more of another way to build up capital than anything else.

Speaking of roommates, Mona supposed it would be polite to provide breakfast since Aria had yet to get any food for herself. While Mona did not know what Aria ate nowadays, she pulled out four frozen egg muffins out of the freezer and threw them into the oven to cook. She then headed back to her room to grab an extra set of keys.

Walking into her room, she headed to her vanity when her cell buzzed indicating that there was a text. Frowning, Mona hurried over after grabbing the spare keys and looked at the text. It was from her mother, they only talked during the sessions, and apparently her father had to leave town on business thus therapy was canceled for the week.

Mona was not sure to either be thankful or hurt.

Deciding on being thankful, Mona realized that she had a few more hours now to spare until her class. There were a few places she to stop at so Mona decided to do it today so that she could have the full day to enjoy tomorrow. Grabbing her work clothes from a hanger, Mona got dressed.

Aria smelled something good.

Opening her eyes, she stared up at the strange ceiling and momently forgot where she was. Aria started to panic as an old memory surfaced and she sat up quickly; looking around her. Then the events of last night flooded her mind and she began to calm while lying back down. It was another minute of trying to calm her herself when Aria's stomach began to groan out of hunger.

Grunting the young woman pushed off the blanket and sat up; getting the sleep out of her eyes.

Yawning, she stood up and stretched her body. After that, she pulled on her pants and headed to her door. As she opened it, the smell of food got stronger but her bladder also made itself known as well. Sighing, she made a detour to the bathroom that Mona had shown her last night.

After relieving her bladder, Aria stared at herself while she washed up. Her hair was starting to get longer and she contemplated cutting it short again. The young woman had gone through different lengths over the years; starting after the conclusion of the A affair. Her facial complexion had gotten thinner though nothing that yet considered a health risk.

Everyone was always concerned about Aria and there were days that it irritated the hell out of her. While all the girls had been hit hard by the events of A, in the end it was Aria who was hit the hardest in the end. Having your soul mate and best friend betray you was something that one could almost never recover from.

Both Ella and Byron had pushed hard for her to go to therapy like the rest of her friends did; even Mona went which surprised a lot of people. But Aria only attended one session before calling it quits; instead throwing herself into her studies. Her grades improved greatly and she graduated almost at the top of her class.

That is when she moved out after getting accepted to Hollis; getting a job right after moving into the dorms. Trying to get her Masters in Art was taking a lot longer than she thought due to Aria's insistence to do things on her won without her parent's help. What little help she accepted was her friends and that only happened when she was desperate.

Leaving the bathroom, Aria headed into the kitchen and found Mona dressed in stylish black pants with a matching over shirt that covered a blue blouse. Her hair was braided in a ponytail and had makeup on. She was on her iPhone and eating an egg muffin; she briefly looked up at Aria as she entered the room.

"How did you sleep?" asked Mona politely as she pushed a plate containing two more egg muffins.

"Good; thank you," answered Aria as she greedily took the food and munched. She had not eaten since late yesterday and was thankful for the food.

There was a general lack of interaction between the two as Aria consumed her breakfast and Mona focused on her phone. In all the years they had known eachother, there had been a general lack of communication between the two except in cases that involved the A affair. So Aria did not know how to start a conversation and was not sure she wanted to; even though it was in her best interest to had some sort of friendly relationship with the person she was now paying rent to.

It was lucky for her that Mona decided to initiate contact first.

"Here is your key," Mona said as she pushed the house key in front of Aria.

"Thank you; are you going out?" asked the Hollis student, taking the key and putting it on her key ring in which she took out of her pocket. Aria was not sure if Mona dressed like that all the time.

"Yes; I have work soon and then a few errands to run," answered the raven-haired woman as she got up and put her plate in the sink.

"Hanna said you had a job but never said what you did," Aria stated, curious to what Mona did for a living.

"I teach a class on the usage of modern technology for the elderly." Mona had several degrees including a Masters in computer science. Aria blinked in surprise since she could not picture Mona as a teacher.

"Do you work today?" Mona asked as she gathered her things.

"No; but I do tomorrow. Today, I thought I would get my things from my storage space and set up my room. Toby said he would help me with some of the heavier stuff and is it okay I let him in?" asked Aria.

"Toby is fine; I have no problem with him. One last rule though; my room is off limits. I won't go in yours without permission and you leave mine alone; are we clear?"

"No problem," Aria replied as she finished her food.

"I am heading out; see you later and don't forget to lock up," Mona said as she grabbed her purse and walked away.

"Have a good day!" Aria called out as sincerely as she could. She then heard the front door close.

After putting her own plate in the sink, Aria headed back to her room to put on the rest of her clothing. After washing up, she called Toby to meet her at her storage unit just a few miles away. Leaving the house, Aria made sure that she did indeed lock up behind her.

Toby had arrived at the storage place just a few minutes after her. The young man still had his pickup truck after all these years; even refusing to upgrade when Spencer's parents offered to help him when it became apparent that their daughter was going to marry him at some point. They preferred him far more than Melissa's husband.

Together, the two placed everything Aria needed into the back of his truck. She took most of her clothing, some furniture, her computer, as well as some knick knacks. She also took some boxes of books that Aria did not want the risk of being damaged in the storage unit. She left her bed since there was already one in the room.

Once everything was loaded in the two vehicles, Aria and Toby made their way to the house with Toby the one following. After arriving, they both proceeded to haul the stuff into Aria's room which did not take too long. Once everything was stacked inside neatly so Aria could move around, she took Toby to lunch as a thank you.

"I am not sure what was more surprising; you moving in with Mona or the way her place is set up," said Toby as both he and Aria sat at a table at the Brew while waiting for their food.

"What do you mean about her place being set up?" asked Aria, ignoring the first part; she'd imagined that both Emily and Spencer would give her the third degree at some point.

"I imagined it more sinister than anything else; it looked so normal though there seemed to be a general lack of stuff," answered the tall young man.

"I think she keeps a lot of it in her room. Hanna said that she still collected creepy dolls so who knows what other stuff she has. I could care less though as long as I don't get any texts," Aria stated.

"It's just funny that you would pick living with her over going home," Toby stated, trying to make the statement as light as possible.

"Well I am just not ready to do that just yet. When is Spencer due back?" asked the shorter woman, changing the subject.

"Sunday; I am picking her up from the airport," answered Toby as their food arrived.

"Didn't she go to London with her parents?" asked Aria, grabbing a fry and eating it.

"Yeah, but they are heading to Paris while Spence opted to come straight home. I think she is tired of playing mediator between her parents and Melissa."

"I thought a truce was called when Taylor was born?" Aria asked; referring to Melissa's two year old daughter.

"It's been a little hazy when Melissa announced that she and Wren were moving to Edinburgh to start their own business," Toby answered.

"Ahh; well at least that means that Hanna can finally go to London like she always wanted," Aria stated with a half-smile. Hanna despised both Melissa and Wren for their part in Ashley's frame up. Even with the evidence that the couple were being blackmailed by A into doing it, there was just enough evidence to shed doubt in Hanna's eyes.

The rest of the meal went well enough and the two said their goodbyes. Toby had a job to get to while Aria still needed to go by work to pick up her check. After putting money into the bank, Aria went shopping for her type of food. Aria tended to eat strictly organic when she was at home and had grown to be quite the cook.

Mona was still gone by the time Aria made it back to the house. It was around 4pm and Aria was still full from lunch so she opted to eat dinner late. Mona had already cleared a few spots for her in the cupboards as well as in the refrigerator so Aria had a chance to put her groceries away before heading to her room to unpack.

Grabbing her personal sheets, she wrapped up the bed and pillows; she refolded the bedding that Mona had loaned her and planed it on the couch in the front room. She then moved her two large book shelves on the wall next to the bed while putting the computer table next to the door. Aria then set up her computer, a very old Dell given to her by Ezra years ago.

Aria did not know while she kept it; that and all the books he ever owned.

Everything was just about in place when she heard the front door open and then close, indicating that Mona was home. Aria had yet to set up her personal stuff in the bathroom as well as put her clothes away in the dresser in front of her bed; opting to instead do it tomorrow before going to work. Pushing the boxes into a corner, Aria made her way out of her room.

Mona was in the kitchen putting away wine when Aria greeted her.

"Hi; how was your day?" asked Aria as she leaned against the counter.

"Busy; yourself?" Mona asked said with a half-smile as she took a wine glass and poured herself a drink. Arai shook her head when Mona offered her a glass.

"Good; just setting up my stuff," answered the brunette.

There was an awkward silence as Mona drunk her wine and Aria just looked around. After a minute, Mona asked "Did you want dinner? I was about to cook myself something."

"I am good; I might have some ramen later."

"I'll leave some leftovers for you; do you mind pork chops?" Mona wondered as she took the meat out of the refrigerator.

"Is it grass-fed?"

"Yes; I can't stand the other stuff as well," remarked Mona as she fried the meat. She then proceeded to grab some broccoli to boil.

"Maybe I will eat with you then," Aria said as the smell of the food touched her nose. Hanna never mentioned that Mona knew how to cook.

Dinner went well as to be expected. The two chatted politely as Mona watched the news on the television. Aria only was into film noirs and did not pay much attention while Mona had her list of shows that she followed. Around nine, the two said their good-nights.

As Aria lied on her bed and pulled out a book to read, she realized that she had forgotten to grab the rest of her stuff from Hanna's place. Deciding to do it tomorrow, she went back to reading until turning off the light an hour later.

Mona on the other hand, was on her bed brushing the doll that she had once called Aria. While she paid attention to every one of her dolls, she usually started with the Hanna set. Today, out of her own version of respect, she decided to start with the lone Aria version. There was only one due to Alison destroying the rest while trying to burn Mona alive all those years ago; leaving a brutal scar that she still had on her back.

After she was done, Mona did her routine of reading "Dante's Inferno" which she did after her sessions with her dolls. Mona had gotten somewhat spiritual since the Fire and firmly believed in an afterlife. While she had yet to visit a church, though Hanna's Stepfather was the Pastor of one, she still had some faith.

It was all for her; at least that was what Mona told herself anyways.

**Please R&R!**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Still don't own it.

Aria yawned as she leaned against the counter and rested her head on her arm.

It was getting close to closing time and the end of her shift. Her boss would return around then to close of the shop and allow Aria to head home.

It was a Sunday so business had been steady throughout most of the day. It was only until late in the evening that it became so slow and Aria became bored. She felt more comfortable helping customers than being by herself; too many bad memories tended to come up if she was left to her thoughts.

It had been almost a month since she had moved in with Mona and things were going pretty good; though it helped that she and her roommate rarely saw one another. Mona had a very busy life from what Aria saw and was partially glad of that fact. She had enough drama in her life without adding her awkwardness in being in Mona's presence.

Not that it was completely uncomfortable; Mona tended to leave Aria a plate when she cooked and the food was really good. Aria was not as good as she used to be when it came to home cooked meals. Cooking always reminded her of when she cooked for Ezra in his apartment and that was a long time ago.

Both her parents still did not know about her living situation though her brother found out on the grapevine. He had confronted her about it over lunch and the two had argued about it for some time before she convinced him to keep silent. As a condition of his silence, Aria had to stay in contact with him more frequently.

Mike though did not seem upset at all with her living with Mona; which seemed off to the older sister. Though Mike and Mona had dated briefly in high school, it was mostly related to the "A" thing than actual companionship. Their relationship had ended just before everything came to a head at Radley.

Aria wondered if the two were still communicating but quickly dismissed the idea given that everything Mona did nowadays was the gossip around town; thus Aria would have heard about it at some point. She was glad that word about her and her situation was overstepped by other things; otherwise Ella and Bryon would be banging on the door.

The bookstore where she worked was located not too far from where she lived and about a ten minute drive. She only walked if she had a morning shift and made sure to drive at night even though crime in Rosewood was a rare thing. Too many bad things happened at night when Aria was younger and that resonated with her ever since.

The bookstore itself was medium sized, selling both new and used books. Though E-Publishing dominated the market, not all authors went to that format and not all works had yet to make it as well thus shops like one she worked in still continued to exist. Aria's boss was smart though and did something unique; he allowed armature authors to publish their works electronically in his shop so that they did now have to go online to major outlets. A small fee was charged and no smut was allowed.

It was a smart move and the business thrived because of it; allowing Aria to have a job she enjoyed.

Aria yawned as she watched a customer approach the counter with a few used books in his hands. She straightened up and smiled as a small stack was placed on the glass counter in front of her. The books were of various genres and appeared to be more than a few years old. The customer was a regular to the shop and a pleasant older man.

"Slow day?" asked the gentleman as he pulled out his wallet.

"It was busy earlier," responded Aria politely as she rang him up. The prices of the books were marked on the inside cover in easily erased pencil in order not to damage the book.

"That is good; job security as I always say. How is school?"

"It's going good; I have a test coming up that I know I will ace," lied Aria with a fake cheerful smile.

Truthfully her situation with school was not going well. Aria was just too behind because of her suspension and she was forced to drop more than a few classes. This caused her to now have to retake those very same classes thus putting off her expected time of graduation. That fact alone was soon going to catch the attention of her parents and the thread would finally come undone.

The small plus was that her boss had more than enough hours for her to make up for it which gave Aria a bit more money to play with. She had finally paid Mona her first month of rent and had enough to pay off some debts she had required. Aria had relied too much on her credit cards of late and she needed to pay them off before things got too drastic.

"Well that is good; best of luck," stated the customer as Aria took his money and put it in the register. He then nodded in goodbye and took his books, leaving the store. Looking around, she saw that that she was now alone in the store. There were various mirrors located throughout the ceiling in order to show the clerk who was in the store as well as what they were doing.

It was another hour before her boss, Mark Lenkins, returned from his errand. The man, who was in his late forties, was an ex-teacher who left his job to take over the family business. As a longtime resident of Rosewood, he knew Aria's history and sympathized with her thus giving her the job when she applied.

"Ready to take off?" asked Mark as he took off his coat and placed it on the counter. He was slightly chubby and bald but his demeanor was always pleasant. He always dressed casually and was the most informal man Aria knew despite him being a former History Teacher. Today, he was dressed in a yellow polo shirt with grey shorts despite it being nearly winter.

"I can stay longer if you want; help you clean up," offered Aria genuinely. She liked her boss and gave him her all when it came to work.

"Nah, I am good; you head home. I'll be out in about an hour anyways," stated her boss with a smile.

"Okay then; I'll see you Tuesday then," said Aria as she grabbed her jacket and purse. She then walked out the door, the bell jingling as she opened and closed the door.

The sun had long set and the stars were fully out, shining bright in the sky. There was a chill in the air and Aria quickly walked to her car so that she could head home and eat. Aria had gone shopping with her remaining surplus and bought enough food so that she could finally make her own meals. She even opted to repay Mona with a meal and hoped that she was fine with vegetarian stir-fry.

There was little activity on the street as Aria drove home though she heard that there was a big game at the high school. If the team won, no doubt the streets would be busy with celebrating fans at some point. Though Mona and she lived in a quieter neighborhood, she wondered if the fanfare would make it and be loud. If so, Aria was glad to be off tomorrow so that she could sleep in.

Tomorrow night was the gathering of her and her friends at Spencer's loft for dinner. Emily was back in town for a few days so the four of them decided to get together. It would be just the four of them after almost eight months and Aria was looking forward to it. There was a lot to talk about with Emily's new job and Hanna's coming fashion debut.

Arriving home, she saw Mona's BMW parked in the driveway and pulled up alongside it. Though Aria was happy parking on the street, Mona made room for her so that she did not have to. Both women's cars fit easily in the driveway. The porch light was on as well as the front rooms; indicating that Mona was not in her room.

"Hello!" called out Aria as she opened the door and closed it behind her. She headed down the hallway and into the dining area, finding Mona lying back on the couch with her tablet in hand as well as a full glass of wine lying on the small table in front of her. The light in the front room was dim and Mona appeared to be dressed all in black; eerily reminding Aria of the old days.

"Hello; how was your day?" asked Mona pleasantly, not looking up from her screen.

"It was okay; work was steady. Yours?" asked Aria as she took off her coat and put it on the table along with her purse.

"Alright; just another day," Mona answered as she reached out and took a sip of her wine.

Whenever Aria saw Mona drink something, it was usually some sort of fancy wine. While Aria did not usually drink the stuff, she knew what Mona was drinking was very expensive and downed it like water. She wondered if Mona drank to cope with all the stress in her life and was concerned that her roommate might have a drinking problem.

Aria opted to ask Hanna about it tomorrow.

"There's dinner for you on the counter; I stopped for a burger after my errands and grabbed you something," announced Mona from her spot, once again never taking her eyes off her tablet.

"Oh thank you; though I don't really eat….,"

"It's a vegan burger; extra onions and tomatoes along with fries," stated Mona in a pleasant tone.

"Thank you," said Aria, both happy for the food but creeped out by it at the same time. It still made her nervous that Mona knew so much about her various habits and routines.

Sitting down at the table, she opened the large white Styrofoam container and saw a pretty good size burger inside. Taking a bite, the food was heaven in her mouth and she got back up to grab a glass of water to wash it down. Retaking her seat, she ate quietly while checking out her Facebook page on her phone. It was almost five minute before Mona said something.

"I'll be gone for about a week or two coming up next month; I'll be in Paris," Mona announced as she looked up at Aria.

"Oh; that is nice. A vacation?" asked Aria politely and curious.

"Sort of; I have some business overseas. I'll make sure all the bills are taking care of though there is one or two things I might need you to do while I am gone," informed the young woman.

"No problem; are you going to need a ride to the airport?" asked Aria, making a genuine offer.

"No, I just plan to drive myself and leave my car parked at the airport. Thank you though," Mona said with a smile.

"No problem."

Aria finished her food and then got up to thrown the garbage in the trash. After thanking Mona for the food and mentally promising to pay her back for the meal, Aria said goodnight and went to bed. Mona watched her leave and heard the bathroom door open and close. After a few minutes Mona then heard Aria leave the bathroom and head into her room.

Mona absolutely knew that Aria was caught by surprise by the meal; no doubt spooked that she knew her diet so well. In high school, Mona had studied Aria completely at the behest of Alison when she was "A". Thus it was easy to know what Aria liked and disliked. Though some of her habits changed dramatically because of Ezra, some things still stayed the same with her.

What Mona did was a genuine act of kindness; she really did stop and got something to eat, grabbing something for Aria as well. There was no hidden motive to it but something polite. That is what Mona told herself as she continued to read her novel and sip her wine. She was beginning to like having Aria as a roommate; she was the quieter one of the four currently.

Today had been a hard day with her having to fit in two classes. Mona rarely more than one class a day but this week would be busy for her with the preparation for her trip to Paris as well as therapy session with her parents on Tuesday. Tomorrow was her solo session as well as another class before breaking until the following week.

The sessions with her parents was something she dreaded given they never amounted to anything. While the rest of the Liars had somewhat good relations with their parents, even Arias were not that bad, Mona had nothing but negativity with hers. She had no doubt it would end like it always did.

The one good thing of the week was that Thursday would be her time with Hanna. The two were going shopping in the city for new outfits as well as dinner and a club. Mona was going to do all the driving which made her friend happy since the BMW was far more comfortable than Hanna's vehicle. No doubt Caleb would be ticked off that Hanna would be home so late; which brought a small smile to Mona's face.

The trip was something that Mona had planned for a while and was something she needed to do. Even after all these years, she still had secrets that went all the way back to her days as "A". Though none of them involved the Liars directly anymore, they were still dark and Mona kept them close to her chest.

Yawning, Mona decided on another hour of reading before heading to bed. She had the benefit of sleeping in tomorrow before heading out for her only class and then therapy. After that, she had to do a little shopping and then pay a bill. It was a somewhat heavy day though not as full as others.

Mona knew all about Aria's little shindig with her friends tomorrow night and knew Aria would be home late thus dinner wasn't going to be an issue. Hanna had mentioned the event during their last lunch together and even offered to invite Mona to it; though Mona instantly detected the hesitance in the act. There were still some issues even after all these years and Mona actually understood so she politely declined which appeared to relieve Hanna.

There was also the fact that Mike Montgomery wanted to talk to her and suggested dinner at his place. Unbeknownst to anyone, both she and Mike still kept in contact with each other for the last three years; having a night together whenever there was an itch to be scratched. There were some feelings between them that were real but just overshadowed by the drama of "A" back in the day.

Mona knew that he wanted to talk to her about Aria as the concerned brother he was. It was she who first told him of Aria moving in. There were very few secrets between the two and shared quite a few things. He was another victim of Alison in which even Aria did not know; only Mona knew and kept that secret.

If Mona had to guess, he wanted her advice on how to handle his parents once they inevitably found out about Aria.

If that was it, the Mona had no clue on what to do. While it was a slight miracle that they didn't yet find out it was only a matter of time when they did. Of course, Mona believed that Mike was taking things too seriously. While Bryon might flip out, Ella was far calmer and would take the news better. Aria didn't really have much of a relationship with her Step-father so that wasn't an issue.

Mona was slightly jealous that Aria had better parents than she; despite all the lies and sins that she was guilty of. However, Mona was just as guilty so in the end, so it evened out. Alison had marked them all and they were now free of her legacy.

At least Mona hoped so.

**Please R&R!**


End file.
